Permaculture principles for beginners — No. 5
Story by Loretta Leary, Permaculture Tasmania’s Secretary, extract from Spring 2026 member newsletter
Permaculture Principle 5 is ‘use and value renewable resources and services’
What it means:
It means making the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and heavy technology, letting natural ecological systems and biological functions do the work. Hence the proverb, “let nature take its course.”
- Renewable Resources: Use items that replenish naturally, such as solar energy, wind power, timber from managed woodlots, and water via rain catchment.
- Renewable Services: Rely on functions provided by living organisms rather than mechanical or chemical intervention.
How to do it:
Focus on reducing your use and dependence on non-renewable resources for energy and let nature do the work.
Here is how you can implement it across different areas of your home:
☀️ Energy & Heating
- Dry clothes on clothesline or drying rack instead of an electric dryer.
- Harness passive solarby opening curtains on sunny winter days to warm rooms. Close them before sunset to trap heat.
- Install solar path lights for outdoor walkways.
💧 Water Management
- Set up rain barrels and tanks to catch roof runoff to water your garden and indoor plants.
- Reuse greywater by collecting warm water in a bucket while waiting for your shower to heat up. Use it to flush toilets or water ornamental plants.
- Mulch soil heavily. Cover soil with autumn leaves, straw, or woodchips to stop water evaporation.
🌱 Gardening & Soil
- Make home compost using kitchen scraps and garden waste to build soil fertility instead of buying synthetic fertilizer.
- Plant green manurescrops such as nitrogen-fixing plants like clover or beans to naturally enrich your soil.
- Attract pest predators by planting marigolds, dill, and coriander to attract ladybirds and predatory wasps that eat garden pests.
🐓 Animal Services
- Employ backyard chickens to hens scratch your garden beds to clear weeds, turn the soil, eat pests, and leave behind high-quality fertilizer.
- Build a duck pond. Ducks eat slugs and snails, and their nutrient-rich pond water makes excellent garden fertilizer when drained.
🧹 Indoor Household
- Switch to natural cleaners such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice instead of harsh chemical cleaners.
- Choose renewable materials for household items that are made from bamboo, wool, cork, or sustainably sourced timber.
I love this principle becasue it is time saving, sustainable and cheaper than most man-made alternatives. Gardening with chooks is also very, very entertaining.
